The tax is a renewal and increase of Measure C, a half-cent tax approved by voters in 2013 to raise money for municipal services, with at least 80 percent of funds dedicated to road repair and maintenance. That sales tax took effect in 2014 and is set to expire in April 2019.

“Our residents are telling us they want their roads fixed,” said Mayor Kevin Haroff. “We are saying this is the best way to do it.”

Measure B is a general tax, requiring a simple majority to pass. If approved, the tax would continue indefinitely, until ended by voters. It would be subject to a citizens oversight committee review.

Larkspur roads continue to be ranked among the worst in Marin County. The city commissioned a survey in February that found that residents are fed up with pothole-pocked roads and a majority would support the three-quarter-cent tax to fix them. Input from residents who attended community meetings on the topic was consistent.

City officials are hoping to use the funds collected to finance a five-year roadway improvement plan. The measure would authorize the city to incur debt — expected to be $25 million to $30 million — for the five-year project. The collected tax would be used to pay down that debt over at least 20 years.

The City Council placed the measure on the ballot and adopted a policy that would require no less than 80 percent of the funds to be dedicated for road repair, rehabilitation and maintenance.

Haroff noted that 94 percent of Measure C funds collected since 2014 have been spent on pothole and street repair. He expects that trend to continue with Measure B.

The tax is Larkspur’s only city-imposed sales tax. The increase would equal those in Fairfax and San Rafael. With the increase, the total sales tax in Larkspur would be 9 percent.

The tax has its critics, including Greenbrae resident Michael Hartnett, who said city officials “are not being transparent with voters,” arguing that the tax would be funneled into the city’s general fund and could be used for salaries, pensions and other city expenses.

“There is nothing in there to enforce that it is going to be spent on roads,” he said.

Advertisement

Hartnett, as of Friday, was the only Larkspur taxpayer to submit to the county elections office an argument against Measure B.

Hartnett asked why city officials allowed the roads to reach such disrepair, accusing the city of misusing funds.

City Manager Dan Schwarz said that in the case of Measure C, the citizens oversight committee and the City Council served as the “checks and balances to make sure the money is being used appropriately and not for some general purpose.”

For fiscal 2017-18, the city has an operating budget of $16.3 million and a capital improvements budget of $7.3 million, supplemented by grants.

The budget includes $1.1 million in Measure C revenue, with about $1 million contributing to road rehabilitation projects.

In 2016-17, the city contributed $902,000 to road projects, and $1.7 million toward the same use the year prior, according to city budget documents.

“It’s not about salaries; it’s not about pensions; it’s about fixing the roads,” Haroff said. “We feel that we have widespread community support for it, and it will enable our roads to be repaired within five years.”

City officials said prior to adopting Measure C, federal funding was sparse, used for major roadways and not residential streets. While other funding sources were available for road projects, the city needed to supplement those dollars with its own money. The only way to do that was to introduce a tax, Councilman Dan Hillmer said.

“The city may have been late,” he said. But that is because “we were always adverse to putting more tax burden on residents.”

Resident James Holmes, who serves on the citizens oversight committee, said that the city has now “a proven track record” and that “residents can trust that the city will use the money for what they say it will be used for.”

He said he plans on applying again to serve on the oversight committee if Measure B passes, but he encourages other residents to also participate.

“Transparency works best when citizens participate,” he said.

About the Author

Adrian Rodriguez covers Mill Valley, Belvedere, Tiburon, Corte Madera and Larkspur for the Marin IJ. He also writes the weekly business column Movers & Shakers, which appears in Friday's paper. Reach the author at arodriguez@marinij.com or follow Adrian on Twitter: @adrianrrodri. Reach the author at arodriguez@marinij.com
.